Everyday Systems

Well, I had some health issues and went to my doctor. One of her 'prescriptions' was for me to do a low carb diet.
Initially I lost some but the food restrictions broke me down. I cannot hang if I can never ever have a treat again!!

I am now bigger than ever. Dec 06 I found the noS diet, and here we are 5 years later and I went from 248 to 213 to 218(maintained there for some time) to 230 to 241 and I haven't weighed myself lately but I can tell by my clothes that I am growing larger, especially my middle. I find myself growing OUT of my size 22 pants and 2x shirts.

I tried counting calories for 2 days. Writing it by hand is ok, but finding the calories in some meals was daunting. Fitday and other food tracking programs are too time consuming for me.

So I was rehashing (again, year after year) with dh about what my next attempt would be when I thought- hey, why not noS? It makes absolutely the MOST sense.

I get in trouble on S days though, so I do think absolutely I need to keep it to one nice sweet.

My S days will be Friday and Saturday, since that is when we typically go out to eat or have a family movie or something.

Spent time talking to my cousin, P. He is well over 500 pounds. Well he was. He's lost 60 some pounds just by essentially doing noS (he had never heard of it before but essentially he's doing the same). He is still losing and quite motivated.

I just can't get motivated. I hate being this large, especially for a woman. There is nothing feminine about me, I am just a large, round Woman.

Of course, yes, depression comes right along with it.

I also read tons of other books about this diet, that diet, another diet, which is best and I end up overwhelmed and confused.

My sense of portions is also warped and my inherent feeling that I will not get enough to eat- it's almost desperate.
Along with all this baggage, I am just plain tired of food/eating/weight being a chronic issue.

If I could get to 180 or even 190 I could be exstatic, but in 15 years I have not even been able to get near 199.

Anyway, back again. Need to make this a lifelong commitment and stop reading anything else.

Basic self rules, gluten free (GF), low carb as much as possible, but allow a meal of pasta now and again or a bowl of cereal, etc.

Nice to see everyone again! I hope I don't become a stranger again!!

Welcome back.

The thing I want to comment on is feeling feminine. Feeling feminine is truly more between your ears than it is below your neck. There are many, many very feminine women who aren't small.

shamrockmommy wrote:I also read tons of other books about this diet, that diet, another diet,
which is best and I end up overwhelmed and confused.

My sense of portions is also warped and my inherent feeling
that I will not get enough to eat- it's almost desperate.

Along with all this baggage, I am just plain tired of food/eating/weight being a chronic issue.

Need to make this a lifelong commitment.

Hi shamrockmommy, It's good to see you.

I sometimes get tired of food/eating/weight being a chronic issue too,
....but like many of the things in life...
....including my recent broken arm...
the only solution for me is the CHOICE I have
about my own Attitude concerning it.

Hi Tiffani! So sorry you are you struggling with your weight, but I'm glad you are back.

Nice to meet you! I hope you'll stick around and benefit from this system. There's a wonderful, supportive community here.

Do share the tough parts, as well as your successes!

Welcome back, Tiffani!

You sound so unhappy. My recommendation to you is one you've heard before: Be gentle with yourself.

In terms of the No-S diet, this means following to the letter, but NOT beyond. Don't make eat tiny meals of "diet food" - eat a reasonable plate of food! Don't eat food you dislike. An important part of No-S is training your MIND as well as your body - reassuring it that this is really okay. Otherwise, No-S becomes like any other diet - a deprivation to be endured only temporarily. So, limit your intake to "one plate" (no sweets, no snacks, no seconds), but make those one plates sustaining.

More broadly, I have found (and observed in others) that over-eating is often a misguided attempt at self-nurture. So, a good strategy is to give yourself the nurture you need in other ways, so you don't turn to food as the default. Pay attention to what soothes/pleases you, and actively seek to broaden that repertoire. Try new things. Buy yourself flowers for no reasons, experiment with different scents at an aromatherapy booth (or even a Bath and Body shop), download some new music. Appeal to senses other than your taste buds!

And stick around. You know there's support here for you.

Best wishes!!

KCCC wrote:Don't eat food you dislike.

In developed countries today, there is no reason to do this. If you eat food you dislike, what's likely to happen is that you'll eat it in addition to food you like. Eating more food is not the solution to overeating. That just doesn't make sense.

shamrockmommy wrote:Initially I lost some but the food restrictions broke me down. I cannot hang if I can never ever have a treat again!!

I couldn't face the thought of never having a treat again, either. That's one reason why I chose No S. On No S, there is NO food that you cannot eat in any amount, ever. That includes the least healthy food you can think of. You might want to make it a rare treat, but you can still have it.

I had the desperate feeling of not getting enough to eat, too, in my first couple of months of No S. It passed. I don't get that any more.

shamrockmommy wrote:I hate being this large, especially for a woman. There is nothing feminine about me, I am just a large, round Woman.

Do you look, perhaps, something like this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_figurines

From the article:

"Archaeologists speculate, however, that they may be emblems of security and success, fertility icons, pornographic imagery, or even direct representations of a Great Goddess or Mother Goddess or various local goddesses."

Fat women have not always been seen as inherently unsexy, unfeminine, or unattractive. You'd have been considered quite the babe in many cultures for much of human history.

We don't know what significance they had for Paleolithic people, but I'm pretty sure they didn't think it was ugly or devoid of some significance. You don't spend hours carving something out of a woolly mammoth tusk if that something isn't attractive or important to you.

Thanks everyone
KCCC you are wise as always. Why oh Why did I stray? Because some such other 'diet' looks "better'' or ''faster'' and in the end, NOT!

I definitely feel up to a trip to bath and body works for some lotions, sprays, bubble baths, shower gel! Would love some scented candles and flowers around here too.

I guess, yes, I look like those venus carvings, if it were thousands of years earlier, I'd be one hottie LOL.

I'm going to be a bit grave here and point out some things. No S is not offered as a program for reversing health problems, and I'm pretty sure Reinhard would be the first to say it.

It sounds to me like your doctor may be quite worried about you. Do you think she was overestimating the problem? I'm lucky enough to be in a position to opt for a wide variety of foods, but if I thought my life was at stake, I think there are some freedoms I might be willing to give up, though I am only guessing. If you don't believe the situation is as dire as all that, then please ignore my cautionary statements. If it possibly is, I urge you to make your choices for your meals scupulously no matter what anyone says here.


With regard to feminity, I know that when I am consistenly eating moderately, I feel more feminine no matter what I look like. Feminity is more a feeling for me, a feeling that I can move easily and feel comfortable in flattering clothes. I hope you'll feel that way, too. That can be part of your motivation.

You'll likely find that your depressing thoughts will decrease when you are eating moderately as well. Hold out against temptation so that you can experience this for yourself.

Obviously, food plays a powerful role in your life, likely providing short term comfort, entertainment, pleasure, and relief. Do not underestimate the power of these drives in the face of your intention. But, do hang on to the knowledge that resisting them will pay off. Eating in response to them is a habit; not doing that can become the default habit, too.

Welcome back! and good luck on this being the turning point.

oolala53 wrote:I'm going to be a bit grave here and point out some things. No S is not offered as a program for reversing health problems, and I'm pretty sure Reinhard would be the first to say it.

It sounds to me like your doctor may be quite worried about you. Do you think she was overestimating the problem? I'm lucky enough to be in a position to opt for a wide variety of foods, but if I thought my life was at stake, I think there are some freedoms I might be willing to give up, though I am only guessing. If you don't believe the situation is as dire as all that, then please ignore my cautionary statements. If it possibly is, I urge you to make your choices for your meals scupulously no matter what anyone says here.

Oolala, thank you.

Tiffani, I missed the part where your doctor prescribed a low-carb diet. Your own doctor's advice obviously takes precedence over anything you read on a message board, no matter how well- intentioned!

Definitely make your choices within the parameters that your health requires.

Did your doctor prescribe a low-carb diet for a specific reason, or did she say you needed to lose weight, and that a low-carb diet might be a way of accomplishing that? If it's the former, then you should follow your doctor's advice. In the latter case, you're probably safe trying No S.

It was prescribed as a weight loss diet. She said low carb diet with a small amount of fruit per day. Which, I suppose is fine in conjunction with noS.
She did extensive bloodwork (trying to figure out a health issue I have) and it all is "excellent" along with my blood pressure. She was expecting me to be diabetic but turns out I'm the picture of health LOL excepting for the extra weight! But it does not solve one issue I have (unexplained swelling of hands/feet).

Anyway I believe I can combine both. You guys are the greatest

Glad you are back! Stay positive. I find keeping a food journal (not counting calories, just a more detailed HabitCal) and using a pedometer (making a minimum daily steps and increasing it in small amounts over time) are the most helpful in my weight loss. I don't find this to be time consuming, because I am not counting calories. I am taking a complete interest in my health. I see how my eating affects my weight.

You are on the right path with No S. You will get there. I hope you find the source of your health issues. Missed seeing you on the boards.

I don't think you need to do low-carb if you don't have a particular health issue exacerbated by carbohydrates. Most M.D.'s do not have nutrition training and are not particularly great sources of diet advice. She wants you to lose weight -- she doesn't necessarily care how you do it.

And -- welcome back! I remember you well!

I am glad to see you back! Sorry you are in such a state of struggle. I am struggling too and am always on the look-out for things that make me feel good in my own skin no matter where my weight. So (and this sounds very vain) I got a lovely haircut that looks good even if I do nothing to it. For some reason, if my hair is a mess, I am in a bad mood and looking for something to comfort me (food!!) I get a pedicure and paint my toenails a bright color. Just as we say don't eat anything you don't like..don't wear anything you don't like! I really try to have myself "put together" in a way that makes me happy (don't really care what anyone else thinks!) every day. Now remember, you've got a grammy here but one who enjoys big hoop earrings, bracelets, and eye makeup! Nine times out of ten, if I get myself into clothes and make-up that I like, I have a much better day with food issues. Go figure!! Give it a try... remember you are a beautiful woman and "just strutt your stuff" right past that frig! Good luck!